10 Ways Baldur's Gate 3 Encourages Multiple Playthroughs

Baldur's Gate 3 is an addiction that begs to have hundreds of hours sunk into it. And there are so many ways to enable that addiction, first and foremost, that by the time Act 3 rolls around, the urge to plan a new character and playthrough cannot be denied.

Many of my favorite games are a one-and-done deal, but I have so many playthroughs in Baldur's Gate 3 that I've lost count. I love making new characters, experimenting with builds, seeing moments play out differently, and optimizing for maximum power.

There are so many moments where I wonder how that moment would have played out with a different class, race, and party. Here are the ways that Baldur's Gate 3 keeps you replaying on a loop.

10 Missable Party Members

At Least There's More to Discover Next Time

It's really easy to miss companions, especially on a first playthrough. On my first go, I missed Lae'zel and Gale completely simply because I was so overwhelmed by how big the map was, and I just happened to miss the areas they were in. I had to backtrack to find Gale, then found Lae'zel had freed herself and was nowhere to be found.

Accidents also happen. People have accidentally killed Karlach or taken Wyll's story a little too close to heart and killed her on purpose. Others missed Wyll or just didn't want him to join. Most people kill Minthara because there's no reason to knock her out unless you're metagaming. You may not know that Jaheira is a possible companion and get her killed, which has the double whammy of skipping Minsc.

9 The Dark Urge is Always There

A Fundamental Shift in the Story

There are a lot of ways you can play Baldur's Gate 3, and the Origin characters give six different perspectives of the story. The Dark Urge changes the story the most out of all of them by adding new characters unique to a Dark Urge playthrough, new interactions with NPCs, and changing the dynamics with existing characters like Gortash and Orin.

The Dark Urge's story is very different from a custom Tav and offers a tale of either redemption or horror. It ties the main questline very closely to the Dark Urge, even more so than any of the other Origin characters. At least one custom Tav and one Dark Urge playthrough should be completed, just to experience the two very different stories, especially because the Dark Urge offers a completely new perspective on the world and Baldur's Gate 3's questline.

8 The Whims of Fate

Failing a Dice Roll is Okay

Failing the dice roll doesn't necessarily mean you need to do a reload screen, and the unexpected can often make for more entertaining or poignant gameplay. I usually play Bards, and so always go above and beyond when I play the Spider Lute and summon Kar'niss. I once went with Cleric, however, and failing that roll was hilarious and is now my favorite outcome of that interaction.

Other failed rolls can change the story in more significant ways, but just going along with them can lead to events that are completely unexpected. This way of playing encourages a replay to explore other options, be they from failed rolls or successful ones.

7 Your Class

Unique Dialogue and Perks

Baldur's Gate 3 has a whopping 12 classes, and each one changes the gameplay and content in small ways that have a big impact. One of the biggest is the dialogue options unique to each class.

Many of these options are hilarious, offer different ways out of combat, or simply go the extra mile to make it feel like your character truly belongs to that class. My favorite class or dialogue is the Bard for wit, and I didn't fight a single Thorm in Reithwin thanks to her gift of the gab. You'd need to do at least several playthroughs to get the best out of all the class dialogue, but it's truly worth it.

6 Your Race

Change How the World Sees You

For my first Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough, I decided to go with a Drow. Characters at the Grove regarded me with fear and suspicion, but things took a 180-degree turn when I got to the Goblin Camp, where I was treated with religious devotion. There were also some interesting moments in the Underdark.

All races in Baldur's Gate 3 receive different reactions from NPCs, and they all have their own niche to occupy in the Forgotten Realms lore. You can use Change Appearance to see content unique to races, but remembering to cast it for each anticipated moment is a slog, and you can't anticipate everything.

5 Choose Diplomacy or Chaos

Both Options are Valid

One of the appealing parts of playing DnD, and tabletop games in general, is that pretty much anything is possible. This is so hard to implement in a video game, but Baldur's Gate 3 got as close to it as possible. No matter how chaotic things get, it's fully possible to keep marching on.

The Grove is the perfect allegory for this. You'll be having a conversation, or walking through the clearing, and one misclick or failed roll results in every druid and tiefling in the Grove trying to kill you. If you get out alive, the story still continues, with all those stories left untold. This is more of a lesson learned for next time, which all but guarantees you'll be starting a new game at some point.

4 Your Relationships Matter

Not Just Romance Though

It's nice to think of companions as individuals who can make their own decisions. Unfortunately, unless you're doing an evil playthrough, leaving them to their own devices without building a relationship with them can lead to some unfortunate consequences. I'm usually fastidious about getting max approval with every companion, but sometimes I leave them just to see what happens.

In one playthrough, I hadn't gotten much approval with Astarion, and figured it would be okay to take him to Cazador's evil ascension cave to find healing and peace. When the time came, I let him make his own decision to see the growth he had made. Instead, he chose ascension.

Shadowheart's decision to kill Nightsong or save her is a pivotal moment in Baldur's Gate 3's storyline, and Lae'zel's actions and choices also determine her allegiances. The point is, your relationship with your companions can change their stories in major ways, and seeing them play out differently is worthwhile.

3 So Many Starting Characters

And Each Offer Different Perspectives

A custom Tav and the Dark Urge are two of the most popular ways to play, but the Origin characters are very worthwhile simply because their perspectives are so unique. Playing as Gale brings Tara to camp much earlier, you get to experience Shadowheart's pain from Shar, and you choose when (and if) you reveal you're a vampire if you're playing as Astarion.

The difference isn't as stark as a custom Tav, and the Dark Urge, but all the Origin companions have something to offer. It creates the opportunity to develop relationships between the characters, and it can give you a new appreciation for them.

Wyll is criticized for his lackluster story, where he's more of a participant than an active agent, and that changes completely if you play as him. That gives him the agency he deserves and could give you a new appreciation for him.

2 Different Outcomes for Each Area

Pick Chaos or Healing

You can have very different outcomes for each area depending on what you choose. The Grove is the first example of this, but it also extends to the goblin camp, the Githyanki crèche, and the Shadow Cursed Lands.

The Shadow Cursed Lands are the biggest example of this. They encompass the entire area of Act 2, and can either begin the process of healing by the end of it, or be doomed to be forever cursed and uninhabitable. Both states cannot exist at the same time, so trying out different options and combinations needs at least two playthroughs.

This goes even further for the Dark Urge, who is encouraged to kill Isobel and destroy Last Light Inn and everyone in it, though this can also be done accidentally because of Isobel's behavior in the fight at the Inn.

1 The Freedom of Baldur's Gate 3

Do Whatever You Want

I mentioned earlier that total freedom is impossible in a video game, but Baldur's Game 3 comes pretty close. A lot of that has to do with how it anticipates choices that go off the rails. You can do things in any order, you can say things that result in chaos, you can repair and heal the world as you progress through it, or you can leave each area a burning disaster. That goblin standing a little too close to Karlach? He's now a throwable weapon.

This encourages experimentation, and, honestly, it's just fun seeing how far you can push it. Getting to see the chaos makes you wonder what else is possible, and before you know it, you're starting a new playthrough just to see. It's an addictive process, and is much of the reason why having 1,000 hours in Baldur's Gate 3 isn't so unusual.